Loom and method of weaving



uLHnbH HUUI .A 4, 1941- M. CLARK LOO AND METHOD OF WEAVING Original Filed 001:. 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

MARGARET CLARK. BY v v ATTORNEY.

SEARCH R001 M. CLARK LOOM AND METHOD OF WEAVING March 4, 1941.

Original Filed Oct. 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 60 INVENTOR. MARGMETCLARK X ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES SEARCH R PATENT OFFICE LOOM AND METHOD OF WEAVING Margaret Clark, New York, N. Y., assignor of onefourth to Edgar F. Rebner, Riverdale, N. Y.

21 Claims.

This invention concerns an improved method of weaving, and a frame or loom facilitating the carrying out of the said method.

This is a substitution of abandoned application Serial No. 43,167, filed October 2, 1935.

Generally speaking, my invention concerns the elimination of the harness action in weaving, i. e. there is no mechanical shifting of groups of alternate warp for the purpose of providing converse sheds. Whereas in the old art harness action or motion provides various sheds in chronological order, I arrange a frame in such fashion, that two or more sheds are present at the same time, consecutively arranged one behind the other.

It is readily understood, how the inlay in the one shed, which is near the position of the finished goods, may be beaten into the said goods in the same manner, as it is ordinarily done in the weaving art.

The inlay in the second, other shed, as arranged in front of the said one shed, must however be lifted over the position of the said one shed in order to be beaten in. More complex shed formations, as they are known with three or more different shed positions, may be provided in line with my invention analogously, as readily understood by those acquainted with the weaving arts. Therefore this description of my invention may be limited to the simplest weave, in which the prior art simply reverses the positions of the upper and lower warp threads of one shed in order to produce another shed. Under such circumstances one phase of my novel method of weaving may therefore be described as follows:

I arrange warps so that consecutively, i. e. in the direction in which they proceed, alternate sheds are formed one behind the other. The woof is shot into the one shed and then beaten into the goods. A wool is further shot through the second, other shed, is then carried from that position, over the position of the one, first shedthe said one shed disappearing momentarily during this operation-and is beaten in. Then we repeat the operation, by again introducing the woof into the one, first shed and beating it in, etc.

This method of mine may be carried out by way of a very simple device, like that of Fig. 1; it may be carried out in a more complicated hand frame which facilitates faster working, like that illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, or it may be executed on a large scale, in the manner of mechanical looms, as it will be well understood by those acquainted with the art, after they have studied the simpler arrangements of the figures of the drawings.

For the purpose of laying in the woof, I may use a hand shuttle or machine actuated shuttles, in the same manner in which they are used in the general art of looms. But in the case of smaller devices of my invention, I may also use shuttles, which are substantially of a length which exceeds the width the bed of the frame or the loom, so that the inserted shuttle may be shifted from the other or second shed over the position of the first shed, to the point where the goods are being built up, the shuttle is then pushed through and out on opposite side, and the woof is beaten in.

These are the major objects of my invention; in connection with my improvements a great number of other objects and results arise as a matter of course, which will be better understood in the light of the following description, and in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a frame, in which for purposes of perspicuity are shown only two warps, woofs and a shuttle for the woof thread. The frame is longitudinally cross-sectioned.

Fig. 2 shows a modification in a side view, a cross-section.

Fig. 3 shows a corresponding rear elevation.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the drum I use in connection with the modifications of Figs. 2 and 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are a cross-sectioned side view and the top view of a section of a modified drum, and with and without ends, respectively.

Figs. 7 and 8 show, in side and top views, another modification of my invention, with and without ends, e. g. flat strips, respectively.

The section and direction of view of somefigures is identified elsewhere by the numerals of such figure, dot-dash line of section and arrow.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the variou views:

Fig. 1 shows a weaving frame l5, which is for instance struck-up from sheet metal, and in which the warp travels from the left to the right. Two pairs of clamping rollers H and I2 to the left and I3 and It to the right, indicate means providing the necessary tension and guide the warp ends at the left where they feed into the frame; the rollers l3 and I4 are equivalent to the take-up means or beam receiving and feeding finished goods away from a loom. In each instance one or both of the two rollers of a pair may be made of rubber in order to exert the desired grip upon the ends to the left and upon the finished goods to the right.

These rollers are mounted in the frame l5: they'rfiay be rotated, e. g. by handles on one side (not shown). The end A, which represents one of the groups of alternate warps, passes through a guide hole 24 over the top of the frame I5, substantially in a straight line. Another end B, which represents the second group of alternate warp threads, passes first below the frame, underneath a depression IS in the frame I5, so that it is spaced at said depression as a lower warp from the then upper warp A, the second or other shed being formed at this point. It will then be noticed that the warp B, as it passes to the right, arises inside of an individual dome l1, and emerges near the top of said dome through an opening I8. The second warp B is now above the first warp A, and at this point the first she-d I9 is formed.

The woof W emerges at 26 from the finished goods (not shown) and is then shot through the one first shed I3, emerging at 2|. It is understood that this woof between 26 and 2| may readily be beaten to the right into the finished goods.

From 2| to 22, the woof passes through the other or second shed 25, being extended through the hollow formed by depression l6 in the frame l5. This section 2|22 of a woof may then be pulled (by hand or while on a long shuttle) over the top of the dome I1, lifting up the warp A, and it is then beaten into the goods to the right, whereupon the lifted warp A falls back between adjoining domes IT. The shuttle is exemplarily indicated at 23.

The device of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 operates upon exactly the same principle as that of Fig. A piece of sheet metal 3| is bent up to form the bottom 32 and the two sides 33 and 34 of a frame. There are substantially circular recesses in the sides 33 and 34, which protrude inwardly and provide pivotal supports 35 for the sector drum 36. The sector drum has that name because a slit 3! extends through the whole length thereof and provides the other (second) shed 25. The drum 36 may be angularly set because the recesses38 in the pivot 35 engage the overlapping lips 39 struck down in drum 36 along slit 31. The sector drum 36 is normally secured in the position of Fig. 2, but may be also rotated between the pivots, and may also be removed from between the side flanges 33 and 34, when the said springy side flanges are pressed apart.

4| and 42 are beams, respectively supplying one of the groups of alternate warp threads A and B, whereas 43 is the take-up beam. All three of these beams may be suitably tensioned, e. g. by a hook spring 44, which alternately extends below and above the beams, thus tensioning each one of said beams. A rod 46 is superimposed upon the take-up beam 43 and is suspended in the ears 41, thus extending on one side parallel to said beam.

It is readily understood that the warp ends may be slung over the said rod 46 when they are mounted and arranged in the frame before operation is started. The free terminals of the warps may be inserted in holes 28 in the other beams.

A number of bushings 5| here take the place of the domes ll of Fig. 1. Warps B are strung from the beam 42 through suitable openings 52 in drum 36, through the bushing 5| and from there to the take-up beam 43. Other openings 54 and 55 are provided in the drum 36 which provide the necessary friction for the warp A as extended from beam 4| through said openings over slit 3! (as top warp threads of the second shed) past the bushing 5| (then forming the bottom warp threads of the first shed) to the take-up beam 43. At the beginning of the operation the beam 43 may be arranged in the top notches 56, and may be moved to the other notches 51 as work progresses until it is finally lodged in the position of Fig. 2. The beams may be manipulated at their protruding ends 21 (knurl 29).

In order to permit orderly tightening of a woof laid into a shed by pulling the woof end or shuttle, i. e. in order to prevent dishevelling of the fabric produced by such pull, it may be desirable to provide guides on the sides of the set of extended warps, and/or the resulting fabric. Such guides are indicated by the slightly angularly disposed wires 58, in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. These guides extend from a point near the last feeding elements of the upper warps of the last shed; they are coextensive with the said warps for a certain distance and have free, unsupported ends 59, from which the finished goods slide off. The guides 58 are shown to be fastened upon the drum 36, next to the shed 25 or the slit 31, and lead arcuately at 66 to a point slightly above the level of the nozzle of the feeding element of the upper warps of the second shed, i. e. the upper ends of the bushing 5|, and extend from there to their ends 59 as described above.

Thus the guides 58 serve at the same time to guide and lift the woof from the first shed 25 in slot 31 over the bushing 5| to the point where, they are beaten into the finished goods, thus facilitating the beating in of the said woof, be it carried over and beaten in by itself or by way of a shuttle slid over the top of said guides 56. In a hand loom the warps may be forced ahead by the beating in operation, particularly when a shuttle or a needle carrying the woof is used for beating in; but the advancement of the warp may also be caused otherwise, by rotating beam 43 for instance.

Only two guides 58 are shown in the drawings, near the last bushing. But it is understood that there may be a plurality of such guides, or that they may be made adjustable, within the knowledge of the art, so that they may be placed near any bushings representing the outside limits of the weave being produced.

The manner in which the supports of the warps may be arranged in my invention in order to provide consecutive sheds, is of course subject to great variations, as already indicated by the vastly different modifications of Figs. 1, 3 and Fig. 7 hereinafter to be described. Nor is it necessary that the means separating the alternate warps of one of the groups of the last shed be superimposed upon the bed of the loom, as they are by way of the domes or hubs ll of Fig. 1, or by way of the bushings 5| of Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Channels or grooves may be sunk into the material of the bed, in order to provide guide means supporting the group of alternated warps interposed between the elevated group of warps, as illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6.

Anybody versed in the mechanical arts readily understand, that the solid drum 6| of Figs. 5 and 6 may be mounted in a suitable support, in a manner analogous to the drum 36 of Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Transverse grooves 63 and 64 in the drum or cylinder body provide clearance for the sheds 25 and I9 respectively. Normal to said grooves extend grooves 62, which accommodate the alternate warps A of the one warp group. The two groups A and B of the warp extend through holes 65 and 66, in the drum SI, and may -tfius be suitably tensioned and retarded.

My novel weaving method recommends itself on account of the simplicity of the tools involved. But it also offers improved weaving and improved products of weaving. In some instance this method allows ready weaving of materials which are ordinarily very difficult to weave. For instance in connection with a very fine thread, Wire or end, there is less hazard-on account of reduced friction-that the woven material tears or breaks in the weaving operation. Where fiat ends are to be woven, e. g. braids, leather strips or fiat wires, my method represents an unmistakable improvement over the prior art.

An extremely simple execution of this invention is shown in Figs. '7 and 8, and is here exemplarily applied to fiat or strip material, such as the leather just mentioned. The sheet H of resilient material serves as a support, and is mounted by the fiat head screws 12 upon a bracket I3, which may for instance be mounted upon a table. Corresponding, for instance, in width to the fiat ends A, B and W of leather to be woven in this device, the sheet H is slit providing ultimately longer and shorter reeds or tongues 14 and 15. These tongues are shaped to support the warp ends of the slit material in shed formation, forming sheds 25 and I9, through which the woof W is extended. The ends of the longer tongues 1| extend so far down, as to engage in the finished or woven material 11, and so as more particularly to serve as a back stop, resting against the woof 18 just beaten in, and reacting against the tension which is exerted upon the warp by the weights 19 in a direction counter to the direction of travel of the warp. Smaller weights l8 engage the warp to the front, but are greatly counteracted by the weights 19, so that the weights l9 pull the goods back, after they have been pulled to the front during the beating in operation of the woof W extended through shed 25. Pairs of weights l9 and 80 may be attached to the U-shaped rods 8| and 82 respectively which are engaged in loops formed by the warp thread, by being extended back and forth through the weaving device.

Such advantages are-primarily attributable to the basic departure of my invention, in accordance with which chronologically changing sheds of the prior art are replaced by sheds consecutively disposed in the warp direction.

Having thus described my invention by way of several examples, it is this last mentioned, novel departure which I desire to protect broadly together with improvements which are entailed in the broad application of the said basic invention.

What I claim is:

1. Method of weaving, comprising mounting a multiplicity of groups of warps on supports holding said groups at one time in a formation of successively different sheds, laying woofs into said sheds, and forming goods by successively moving said inlaid woofs between the warps into a position forward of said last shedwhile said supports remain undisturbed.

2. Method of weaving, comprising supporting a multiplicity of groups of warps, so that said groups successively form different sheds in the direction of the intended movement of said warps,

laying woofs into said sheds, and forming goods by moving said inlaid woofs between the warps SEARCH R to a position to the front of the last shed, one of the groups of warps forming the last shed being lifted off its support by a woof thus moved from a front shed in the said direction.

3. Method of weaving, comprising supporting two groups of warps in a relatively raised and lowered position, so that they form a first shed; and-alongside of said raised and lowered position---in a relatively lowered and raised position, so that they form a second shed alongside of said first shed; inserting a woof into said first shed and beating it in between said groups in a direction away from said second shed; and inserting a second woof into said second shed and beating it into a position alongside of said first Woof by moving it through the position of the first shed above the highest point of said first shed.

4. Method of weaving, comprising supporting two groups of warps in a relatively raised and lowered position, so that they form a first shed; and-alongside of said raised and lowered position-in a relatively lowered and raised position, so that they form a second shed alongside of said first shed; inserting a woof into said first shed and beating it in between said groups in a direction away from said second shed; and inserting a woof into said second shed and beating it into a position alongside of said first woof by sliding it over the raised group of warps of the first shed, the lowered group of warps of the first shed being momentarily lifted over the raised group of warps of the first group, before the second woof has been slid across and is beaten into the goods being formed.

5. A weaving frame, comprising take-up means for a plurality of groups of warps connected by a weave, means tensioning the free ends of said warps, said groups being crossed between said take-up and tensioning means, and shed forming means fixedly mounted on said frame and relatively guiding said groups of warps in multiple shed formation.

6. In a device like a loom, a frame, and sets of warp supports fixedly attached to said frame and relatively offset in parallel planes in order to guide different warps in various shed formations, one of said supports being swingable towards the other in combination with one shed formation.

7. In a device like a loom, a frame, and sets of warp supports relatively fixedly attached to said frame and relatively oifset in parallel planes in order to guide different warps in various shed formations, one of said supports being resiliently swingable away from the other in combination with one shed formation in order to release a woof from a shed formed between said sets by the offsetting.

8. In a device like a loom, a frame, sets of warp supports relatively fixedly attached to said frame and permanently lifting different warps into various shed formations, and means tensioning different warps independent from each other in a direction opposite to their direction of progress through said device.

9. Method of weaving, comprising supporting by fixed rests a plurality of groups of warps so that said groups form consecutive sheds in the warp feed direction, tensioning each of said groups against its feed direction, laying woofs into said sheds, and beating in said woofs by pulling them through the warps in the feed direction beyond the last shed in that direction.

10. Method of weaving, comprising supporting on relatively stationary rests a plurality of groups of warps so that said groups form permanently allocated consecutive sheds in the warp feed direction, laying woofs into said sheds, and beating in said woofs over intervening rests into a fell behind the last shed formed by said warps in the warp feed direction and advancing the warps relatively to the sheds to the length of woven goods produced by said heating in.

11. In a device like a loom, a frame, and sets of warp supports relatively fixedly attached to said frame and guiding different warps extended thereover in various shed formations, said warp supports supporting said warps in and between said sheds from below only, so that any warp may be freely lifted out of and above said sheds from the respective supporting means.

12. In a loom, fixed guide means for guiding a first warp along a path through said loom; and fixed second guide means for guiding a second warp next to said first warp through said loom, said second means comprising a raised and a lowered element relatively spaced apart along said path, said elements serving to guide said second warp in multiple shed formation relatively to said path.

13. In a loom, fixed guide means for guiding a first warp along a path through said loom; and fixed second guide means for guiding a second warp next to said first warp through said loom, said second means comprising a raised and a lowered element relatively spaced apart along said path, said elements serving toguide said second warp in permanent multiple shed formation relatively to said path.

14. In a loom, fixed guide means for guiding a first warp along a path through said loom; and fixed second guide means for guiding a second warp next to said first warp through said loom,

40 said second means comprising a raised and a warp next to said first warp through said loom, said secondmeans comprising a raised and a lowered element relatively spaced apart along said path, said elements serving to guide said second warp in multiple shed formation relatively to said path, one of said elements being notched in its transverse extent in order to provide a groove guiding said first warp.

16. In a loom, fixed guide means for guiding a first warp along a path through said loom; and fixed second guide means for guiding a. second warp next to said first warp through said loom, said second means comprising a raised and a lowered element relatively spaced apart along said path, said elements serving to guide said second warp in multiple shed formation relatively to said path, one of said elements being notched in its transverse, extent in order to provide a groove guiding said first warp, whereas the other element is continuous in its transverse extent.

17. In a loom, guide springs serving as rests for warp, some of said springs being shaped so that they are curved out of alignment with others, so that warp resting thereon is in shed formation relatively to warp resting on said others.

18. In a loom, a support, and guide springs alignedly mounted on said support and serving as rests for warp, some of said springs being normally extended out of alignment with others, so that warp resting thereon is in shed formation relatively to warp resting on said others.

19. In a loom, a plate, and warp supporting reeds struck up from said plate in difierent directions and adapted to guide warps in shed formation.

20. In a loom, a resilient plate, and warp supporting reeds struck up from said plate in difierent directions and adapted to guide warps in shed formation.

21. In a loom, stationarily mounted shed forming means guiding different groups of warps at an angle with each other to a line at which said groups cross and thus form sheds on both sides of said line, and a frame supporting said means in a permanently fixed position.

MARGARET CLARK. 

